JLA prospers as tourists take flight from weather

Jul 31 2007 by Jessica Shaughnessy, Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (240)

A MISERABLE wet summer is driving people out of the country, with record numbers flying out of Liverpool last month.

June was John Lennon Airport’s second busiest month ever, beaten only in May when thousands of Liverpool fans travelled to Athens for the Champions League final.

The mass exodus to escape the constant downpours of rain in the UK saw more than 500,000 pass through the airport – a 12% increase compared to June last year.

JLA spokesman Robin Tudor said: “This has been one of our busiest months ever, which is fantastic news for the airport.

“A lot of this is down to the fact we have more flight links going to more destinations then ever before.

“But we have a gut feeling that it us also because of the weather. People are booking short last-minute breaks to escape the rain and go somewhere sunnier.”

Last August, the airport saw a new record with 493,000 passengers.

In early 2007, the passenger figures ranged between 350,000 and 450,000 a month. But, in May this year, the record was smashed when 520,000 people travelled through it.

The airport had to build a makeshift terminal in marquees to accommodate the extra people on their way to watch Liverpool play AC Milan in Greece.

And the numbers show no signs of decreasing to the 450,000 threshold yet. Last month, 507,781 people went through the airport compared to 450,000 in the same period last year.

Mr Tudor added: “The ever- increasing figures show our continuing growth in links and destinations.

“We expect this success to continue and we hope to set a brand new record in August this year, when we will be particularly busy over the Bank Holiday.”

As the airport was celebrating its success, budget airline EasyJet brought its 100th Airbus to the airport for a two-week stay.

The specially branded Airbus 319, , which was previously at the airline’s Berlin base, will carry passengers from Liverpool all over Europe this summer on any one of EasyJet's 17 routes from JLA.

The airline now operates seven airbus aircraft from Liverpool.

Its entire fleet consists of 137 aircraft, 107 of which are Airbus 319s.

The A319 is one of the most environmentally-efficient aircraft available.

It is roughly 15% more efficient per seat than the older-generation 737-300 aircraft which it replaced.

jessicashaughnessy